The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-10-05
Allan Quartermain
Bv H. Rider Haggard.
Author of "She," "King Solo
Mons Mines "Jcss, ihc
Witch's Head,' Etc.
CHAPTER XXIII.
I HAVE SPOKEN.


be brought before them in the queens first
antet l,amber at midday, and requested my
auenaance II possible Accordingly gfoaU'y
drawn by curiosity TO see this unhappy wo-
ma, once more. made shift, with the help
of mat kind little fellow Alphonse VINO Is
ne,fect treasure TO me, and that OF another
Whiting man. 20 reach the antechamoer
cot there indeed. before anybody else. except
a few of the great court oihclals VINO hau
heen hidden To he present, but ! had scarcely
seated myself before Sornis was brought ~
by a party Of guards. looking as peautiiui
and defiant as ever but with worn eN'
preston on her proud face She was, ~
usual dressed m her royal kaf emDlazohed
with the emblem Of the sun. and IN her right
hand she still held the toy spear OF silver
pang of admiration and pity went through
me as / looked at her and struggling TO my
feet / bowed deeply at the same time ex'
pressing my sorrow that ] was not able
owing to my condition, TO remain standing
before her
She colored a little and then laughed bit
terly Thou dost forget, Macumazahn,
she said. II am no more queen, save III
blood am an outcast and "A prisoner, one
whom all men should scorn, and none show
Difference to
"At least replied, "thou art still a lady
and therefore one to whom Difference is due.
Also thou art in an evil case, and therefore 1t
is doubly due
aAhw she answered, with a little laugh,
"thou dost forget that | would have wrapped
thee in a sheet of gold and hung thee to the
angels trumpet at the topmost pinnacle OF the
temple
"No,p | answered II assure thee forgot IT
not, indeed | often thought OF it when II
seemed to me that the battle of the Pass was
turning against us. but the trumpet is there,
and am still here, though perchance not for
long, so why talk of 1t now"
"Ahln she went on, "the battle the battle
Oh, would that / were once more queen, II
only for one little hour, and would take such
a vengeance on those accursed Jackas VINO
deserted me in my need, that it should only
be spoken of in whispers, those women, those
pigeon hearted half breeds who suffered them
selves to be overcome" and she choked in her
wrath
"Ay, and that little coward beside thee, she
went on, pointing at Alphonse with the silver
spear, whereat he lo5ked very uncomforta-
BILE. ahe ESCAPED and betrayed my plans. l
tried to make general of him, telling the
soldiers il was Bougwan, and to scourge valor
into him. (heie Alphonse shivered at some
unhappy recollectionl "but it was Of no avail.
He hid beneath banner in my tent and thus
overheard all my plans. | would that had
slain him. but, alas / held my hand. And
thou, Macumazahn, have heard of what
thou didst, thou art brave man and hast a
loyal heart And the black one, too ali, he
was man. fain would have seen him hurl
Nasta from the stairway"
''Thou art strange woman, Sorais," l
said II pray thee now plead with the Queen
Nyleptha, that perchance she may show
mercy unto thee"
She laughed out loud 81 plead for mercy@
she said and at that moment the queen en-
tered. accompanied by Sir Henry and Good,
and took her seat with an impassive face. AS
for poor Good, he looked intensely i'll at ease.
"Greeting, Soraisl" said Nyleptha, after
short pause "rhou hast rent the kingdom
like rag, thou hast put thousands Of my
people to the sword, thou hast twice basely
plotted to destroy my life by murder, thou
hast sworn to STAY my lord and his compan'
ions and to hurl me from the stairway What
hast thou 10 say why thou shoudst not die'
Speak. O Soraism
gotten the chief count of the Indictment"
answered Sorais in her slow musical tones.
at runs thus Thou didst strive to win the
love Of my lord Incubu' IL is for this crime
that my sister will Stay me, not because
levied war IL is perhaps happy for thee,
Nyleptha, that fixed my mind upon his love
too late.
"Listen.n she went on, raising her voice. II
\. IL I,at I I hod
won instead of lost. Do thou with me even
as thou wilt, o queen, and let my lord the
king there pointing to Sir Henry, "for now
viii he be king, carry out the sentence, as 1t
is meet he should. for as he is the beginning
of the evil, let him also be the end" and she
drew herself up and shot one angry glance at
him from her deep fringed eyes, and then be-
gan to toy with her spear.
Sir Henry bent toward Nyleptha and whis-
pered something that / could not catch, and
then the queen spoke.
"Sorais, ever have been good sister to
thee When our father died, and there was
much talk in the land as to whether thou
shouldst sit upon the throne with me, being
the elder, gave my voice for thee and said,
Nay. let her sit She is twin with me, we
were born at birth; wherefore should the one
be preferred before the otherf And so has 1t
ever been 'twixt thee and me, my sister. But
now thou knowest in what sort thou hast re-
paid me, but have prevailed, and thy life
is forfeit, Sorais. And yet art thou my sis
ter, born at birth with me, and we played
together when we were little aud loved each
other much, and at night we sleptin the same
cot with our arms each around the others
neck, and therefore even now does my heart
20 out to thee, Sorais
"But not for that would I spare thy life,
for thy ofrense has been zoo heavy; it doth
drag down the wide wings of my mercy even
20 the ground Also, while thou dost live the